Genesis 37:20

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ לְכ֣וּ וְנַֽהַרְגֵ֗הוּ וְנַשְׁלִכֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאַחַ֣ד הַבֹּר֔וֹת וְאָמַ֕רְנוּ חַיָּ֥ה רָעָ֖ה אֲכָלָ֑תְהוּ וְנִרְאֶ֕ה מַה־יִּהְי֖וּ חֲלֹמֹתָֽיו׃

Transliteration

And now ləḵû and wə-nahargēhû and wə-našliḵēhû in one of the ha-bbōrôṯ; and wə-ʾāmarnû ḥayyâ rāʿâ ʾăḵālāṯhû; and wə-nirʾê what-yihyû his ḥălōmōṯāyw

Grammar Details

• *ləḵû*: imperative 2nd masculine plural - 'go/come'
• *wə-nahargēhû*: waw-conjunctive with imperfect 1st common plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix - 'and let us kill him'
• *wə-našliḵēhû*: waw-conjunctive with hiphil imperfect 1st common plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix - 'and let us throw him'
• *ha-bbōrôṯ*: definite article with noun, masculine plural - 'the pits/cisterns'
• *wə-ʾāmarnû*: waw-conjunctive with perfect 1st common plural - 'and we will say'
• *ḥayyâ*: noun, feminine singular - 'beast/animal'
• *rāʿâ*: adjective, feminine singular - 'evil/harmful'
• *ʾăḵālāṯhû*: verb, perfect 3rd feminine singular with 3rd masculine singular suffix - 'has devoured him'
• *wə-nirʾê*: waw-conjunctive with imperfect 1st common plural - 'and we will see'
• *yihyû*: imperfect 3rd masculine plural - 'will be'
• *ḥălōmōṯāyw*: noun, masculine plural with 3rd masculine singular suffix - 'his dreams'

Word Meanings

• *ḥayyâ* *rāʿâ*: evil beast/wild animal/ferocious creature
• *bōrôṯ*: pits/cisterns/wells

Referenced Verses

• 1 Sam 24:20 : 20 If a man comes across his hater, will he let him get away safe? so may you be rewarded by the Lord for what you have done for me today.
• 1 Sam 26:2 : 2 Then Saul went down to the waste land of Ziph, taking with him three thousand of the best men of Israel, to make search for David in the waste land of Ziph.
• 1 Kgs 13:24 : 24 And he went on his way; but on the road a lion came rushing at him and put him to death; and his dead body was stretched in the road with the ass by its side, and the lion was there by the body.
• 2 Kgs 2:24 : 24 And turning back, he saw them, and put a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the wood and put forty-two of the children to death.
• Ps 64:5 : 5 They make themselves strong in an evil purpose; they make holes for secret nets; they say, Who will see it,
• Prov 1:11-12 : 11 If they say, Come with us; let us make designs against the good, waiting secretly for the upright, without cause; 12 Let us overcome them living, like the underworld, and in their strength, as those who go down to death;
• Prov 1:16 : 16 For their feet are running after evil, and they are quick to take a man's life.
• Prov 6:17 : 17 Eyes of pride, a false tongue, hands which take life without cause;
• Prov 10:18 : 18 Hate is covered up by the lips of the upright man, but he who lets out evil about another is foolish.
• Prov 27:4 : 4 Wrath is cruel, and angry feeling an overflowing stream; but who does not give way before envy?
• Prov 28:13 : 13 He who keeps his sins secret will not do well; but one who is open about them, and gives them up, will get mercy.
• Matt 2:2-9 : 2 Saying, Where is the King of the Jews whose birth has now taken place? We have seen his star in the east and have come to give him worship. 3 And when it came to the ears of Herod the king, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And he got together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, questioning them as to where the birth-place of the Christ would be. 5 And they said to him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet, 6 You Beth-lehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the chiefs of Judah: out of you will come a ruler, who will be the keeper of my people Israel. 7 Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen. 8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem and said, Go and make certain where the young child is; and when you have seen him, let me have news of it, so that I may come and give him worship. 9 And after hearing the king, they went on their way; and the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the young child was. 10 And when they saw the star they were full of joy. 11 And they came into the house, and saw the young child with Mary, his mother; and falling down on their faces they gave him worship; and from their store they gave him offerings of gold, perfume, and spices. 12 And it was made clear to them by God in a dream that they were not to go back to Herod; so they went into their country by another way. 13 And when they had gone, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, saying, Get up and take the young child and his mother, and go into Egypt, and do not go from there till I give you word; for Herod will be searching for the young child to put him to death. 14 So he took the young child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt; 15 And was there till the death of Herod; so that the word of the Lord through the prophet might come true, Out of Egypt have I sent for my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was very angry; and he sent out, and put to death all the male children in Beth-lehem and in all the parts round about it, from two years old and under, acting on the knowledge which he had got with care from the wise men.
• Matt 27:40-42 : 40 You who would give the Temple to destruction and put it up again in three days, get yourself free: if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 In the same way, the chief priests, making sport of him, with the scribes and those in authority, said, 42 A saviour of others, he has no salvation for himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will have faith in him.
• Mark 15:29-32 : 29 And those who went by made sport of him, shaking their heads, and saying, Ha! you who give the Temple to destruction, and put it up again in three days, 30 Keep yourself from death, and come down from the cross. 31 In the same way the chief priests, laughing at him among themselves with the scribes, said, A saviour of others, he has no salvation for himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and have belief. And those who were put on crosses with him said evil things against him.
• John 3:12 : 12 If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
• John 12:10-11 : 10 Now there was talk among the chief priests of putting Lazarus to death; 11 For because of him a great number of the Jews went away and had belief in Jesus.
• Acts 4:16-18 : 16 Saying, What are we to do with these men? for certainly it is clear to all who are living in Jerusalem that a most important sign has been done by them, and it is not possible to say that it is not so. 17 But so that it may not go farther among the people, let us put them in fear of punishment if they say anything in future in this name. 18 And they sent for them, and gave them orders not to make statements or give teaching in the name of Jesus.
• Titus 3:3 : 3 For in the past we were foolish, hard in heart, turned from the true way, servants of evil desires and pleasures, living in bad feeling and envy, hated and hating one another.